Hundreds of gallons of oil spill into Grand River, close parts of the river

Editor's note: Not all of the 800 gallons of motor oil and hydraulic fluid made it into the Grand River before being cleaned. Some was in the river, while a majority was taken from the stormwater system before it made it into the water. Information on that was not clear in initial reports.

JACKSON, MI — About 800 gallons of motor oil and hydraulic fluid have been cleaned from the Grand River in Jackson since Sunday, May 18.

Federal, state and local officials expect more oil to be pulled from the river in the coming days. And the Grand River has been closed to recreational use from the Lions Park at Blackstone Street to Maple Grove.

Don Tucker, Jackson's wastewater treatment superintendent, said the city's fire and department of public works were alerted to the spill about 7 p.m. Sunday. They and the state Department of Environmental Quality put up booms to contain the spill.

The entrance to the Lions Park in Jackson remains closed while officials clean an oil spill in the Grand River.

On Monday, about 400 gallons of fluid were pulled from the river, and another 400 gallons was removed on Tuesday, Tucker said. The federal Environmental Protection Agency was called to the scene on Wednesday.

Tucker said it's unknown how much more oil could be in the river or where it came from.

"With that amount (of oil) it's not coming from residential," he said.

The city and DEQ are checking the local stormwater system to see where the oil may have entered the drain and the DEQ is testing the oil, Tucker said. Kalamazoo-based Terra Contracting has been hired by the city to cleanup the oil.

Tricia Edwards, a federal on-scene coordinator with the EPA, said she does not think there will be any long-term effects to the Grand River from the spill, but the organization will continue to monitor it.

"We have not seen any oiled wildlife," she said Wednesday evening.

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